The Jaffe Briefing - February 7, 2022

ATLANTIC CITY –This city’s once formidable regional monopoly on casinos could be in for another hit. Now New York is taking immense interest in the business, just as its mobile sports betting apps shattered records with $1.6 billion in revenue in January. Politico reports that developers have big proposals in the works, such as a casino in the heart of Times Square or perhaps some slots just steps from City Field. Developers are partnering with the world’s largest casino operators to comb through properties in NYC and its suburbs to find the perfect location to tap this market. It’s all a further wake-up call for Atlantic City, bracing for an intense wave of competition within its targeted market.

LONG BRANCH – It was a busy week for the National Weather Service, finally getting around to confirming the largest snowstorm to hit New Jersey occurred between 4 a.m. Dec. 26, 1947 and 4 a.m. Dec. 27, in Long Branch. Those fallen 30 inches mounted such a huge blizzard, in fact, that the defunct Daily Record of Long Branch declared it made the Blizzard of 1888 look like “light snow,” the Philly Inquirer reports. It took a forensic process involving members of the State Climate Extremes Committee, which included meteorologists from the Mount Holly and New York, and Rutgers University, to confirm the biggest storm ever, filed in a detailed 60-page report. Hey, it’s never too late to get it right.

TRENTON – Republicans have been howling from the cheap seats that Gov. Phil Murphy has just too much darn power, evident in his executive orders during the very long pandemic to issue mask mandates, vaccine requirements and lockdowns. But now there’s some attention within the Democratic majority – where things can actually happen, NJ.com reports. Senate President Nick Scutari says he has talked with the governor about his supreme powers through the “Emergency Health Powers Act of 2005,” telling NJ.com that the law will be revisited. “I’ve been working on a bill myself to do that,” Scutari said. “But I don’t want that to be reactionary.” Regardless, it’s a nice victory for Republicans, introducing a bill to address the governor’s power and the ability to gin up some media coverage for support.

BRIEFING BREATHER

A man named Charles Osborne had the hiccups for 68 years, from 1922-1990.

NEW BRUNSWICK – Rep. Bill Pascrell is taking on the cost of college football coaches, posing this simple question: Should taxpayer-subsidized universities be using federal tax breaks to pay millions for these exorbitant salaries? The congressman is asking Rutgers to justify Greg Schiano’s eight-year, $32 million deal. Pascrell is also posing the same question of university presidents at some of the biggest football powerhouses, such as LSU, which just handed its coach a 10-year, $95 million contract. The question is not if the coach is worth the cash. But, Pascrell ponders, why do these schools pay no federal tax on revenue, and donations remain tax-deductible? Likely nothing big will change here; college football is just too darn popular and powerful. But maybe such questions will help, in some way, to control the crazy, subsidized spending.

IN THE MEDIA

TRENTON – Serving as a public official is not just about shaking hands and cutting ribbons. Sonya Wilkins, a former aide to Council President Kathy McBride, just appointed to the City Council, is also learning she has to deal with the take-no-prisoners Trentonian, which reported on her old bankruptcy case. She brought up that nugget during the public comment portion of a recent council meeting, attempting to shame the tabloid for mentioning a “very unfortunate and trying time” in her life. Yeah, that stuff should be no one’s business – up until the very moment you take an oath to serve the public, as its representative. And bringing up the awkward matter in a public meeting just brings more attention.

IN OTHER IMPORTANT NEWS

LONDON – To give you an idea how dreadfully boring life is in Buckingham Palace, here’s the latest-breaking international news: An old lady was disrupted by an old dog as she was looking at old pictures.  Here’s how the big story came down: Queen Elizabeth was having one of her overly-staged press events, looking at cards and mementos from her 7,000-year resign (or is it 70-year-reign?), when her dog, Candy, shuffled into the room, probably looking for a place to die. All eyes fell on Candy. “And where did you come from? I know what you want,” the queen chirped, as reporters took furious notes of the sudden excitement. Yep. That was the story. The dog walked in.  Unplanned.  Now appearing worldwide.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

It was this day in 1994 that Jack Nicholson beats up a car with a golf club.

WORD OF THE DAY

Sere – [SEER] – adjective

Definition: dried out, withered

Example:  My Super Bowl chile is often described as eating the sere Mojave desert.

WIT OF THE DAY

“If one morning I walked on top of the water across the Potomac River, the headline that afternoon would read: President Can’t Swim.”

-Lyndon B. Johnson

BIDEN BLURB

“As I pushed through to the podium, I could hear people murmuring under their breath: ’There he is... Goddam Biden.... Kill the sonofabitch.’ And these were my voters: working-class Democrats.”

-Joe Biden

WEATHER IN A WORD

Mixed